Eve Muirhead achieved her lifelong ambition of leading her women’s curling team to Olympic gold as Great Britain ended a disappointing Beijing Games with a flourish on the final day.
In her fourth Winter Games, the 31-year-old Muirhead and her team of Vicky Wright, Jennifer Dodds and Hailey Duff, plus alternate Mili Smith, dominated their final against Japan, ruthlessly sealing a 10-3 win.
While they won two curling medals – the males took silver 24 hours earlier – they were Britain’s only top-three finishes across the entirety of the Winter Olympics which is sure to raise questions of funding going forwards.
Star of the day
But the joint-biggest winning margin in a final since the sport was reintroduced in 1998 completed a remarkable journey for Muirhead.
She was the youngest skip to win a curling world title in 2013 but had only a bronze medal from 2014 – and bronze medal heartbreak against the same Japanese team four years ago – to show for three previous Olympic quests.
Quote of the day
“We don’t want to hide away from the fact that there will be sports and athletes going home who will be disappointed with the way things have gone out here,” said Anson.
“I don’t think we can pretend that’s not the case. We’d probably like to see more strong performances, more medal performances than we did.”
Picture of the day
Two dancers, representing the souls of Milano and Cortina.
Milano, the vibrant city known for fashion, architecture, and design. Cortina, the small yet majestic town surrounded by mountains.
Together, the home of the next Olympic Winter Games. ??#MilanoCortina26 pic.twitter.com/3DbB25OK19
— Olympics (@Olympics) February 20, 2022
Officials from Milan-Cortina were prominent in Beijing and no doubt left sure in the knowledge that when the Winter Olympics head to Italy in four years’ time, the logistical issues that afflicted Beijing will surely be a thing of the past.
